Stargate: Return of the Ancients, Season 1, Ep 9
by Aer-ki Jyr
Summary: Episode, "Yellow Brick Road"
1. Chapter 1

"Alright Blue Team, listen up," Sheppard said in frustration in their impromptu meeting on Yavin's southern combat field. "In case any of you hadn't noticed, we're currently in the basement," he said, pointing to a nearby scoreboard. Four teams were listed, with Sheppard's Blue Team in dead last.

"Now I don't know about you, but I'm tired of getting my butt kicked day in and day out by Green Team…and if any of you ever want to even _think _about being included in an offworld mission you're going to have to prove it on the training field first."

Sheppard glanced back and forth across the 54 assembled members of Blue Team, all of which were sitting in a semi-circle on a wide grassy field. He pointed off in the distance at a small rise. "We get bunker 2 this time…and the Greenies aren't going to get it. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," about half of the group said in unison.

"Keep your heads down when you're not firing this time," Sheppard scolded them. "We lost 15 kills to slop like that last time. Do that again, and I'll put an extra stun round into you myself," he yelled, not bluffing. "Get to the bunker!"

Together, all of Blue Team trotted off across the grass field toward their designated bunker for this round of the team competition. Sheppard fell in at the tail of the line, carrying his own stun rifle slung over his back while his smaller stun pistol rode in a hip holster on his left thigh.

All of the troops on Blue Team carried the same weapons…the rifles boasted increased stun power and were designed for range, while the pistols were for hand to hand combat…or in case their rifles' power packs ran dry. The bunker contained several gun turrets with scattershot stun batteries that fired at a rate of 50 per second, but each blast wasn't enough to induce unconsciousness, merely numbness that would debilitate the victim. However, multiple impacts would rack up a kill, not to mention a wicked headache afterwards.

Meanwhile, the attackers carried cut-down rifles known as 'nippers' that could be operated one handed. They carried this version because they were also allowed to carry static energy shields shaped as long rectangles, extending from a short lateral pole that could be handled with one or two hands. The attackers would approach the bunker across open field, using strategically placed ditches and holes, in conjunction with their personal shields, and attempt to seize the bunker.

The attackers were also given numerical superiority, which meant that Green Team got to field four times the number of Blue Team, which amounted to 240…Sheppard had forgone his extra 6 men allotted due to the simple fact the rest of his men couldn't yet shoot straight and had proved in past training battles to be more nuisance than assistance.

Green Team was led by none other than Ronon, and together they had racked up a unit score of 954. Yellow Team, led by Brand, ran second with 674. Teyla's former team, now commanded by a Pegasus native called Striker, formerly Ronon's top man, and ran third with 439. Sheppard's Blue Team was last of all with 375.

When all of Blue Team was in position within the bunker Sheppard hoisted the Blue flag…the signal to begin the battle.

Sheppard stayed on top of the bunker, literally daring Green Team to shoot him, as he scanned the horizon looking for Green Team's advance, which could be taking place from any direction.

He stood there for a good twenty minutes, cursing Ronon for 19 of them, before he thought he caught a glint of energy shield toward the northwest.

"Herra, four two-second bursts along a vertical axis in sector 11," Sheppard ordered.

A thin woman dressed in blue camo fatigues powered up her turret, raised it into the air, and started spraying yellow stun bolts towards the northwest. Sheppard saw a few impact the nearly invisible shields and he knew at least some of Ronon's men were camped out in ditches and underbrush in that direction.

But Sheppard wasn't about to be caught in another of his buddy's diversionary attacks. He turned around and looked the opposite direction, just in time to catch the faint movement of grass about three hundred meters out. Ronon had his men crawling forward through the long grasses no more than a couple of inches off the ground to.

Sheppard hoisted his rifle and laid down on top of the bunker's highest roof. He positioned the rifle on its built in bipod and sighted the crawling Greenies when he heard weapons fire from behind him.

"Sheppard!" he heard one of his men yell from below.

"I know!" he yelled back, keeping his sights on the crawlers. "Do I have to do everything for you? Use your heads…steady, even suppression fire. Snipers double up on individual shields."

Sheppard ignored the fighting starting behind him and took careful aim with his rifle's scope. He sighted in on several of the crawlers, noting their slowly moving positions.

"Ok, Ronon. You're going to have to work for it this time," Sheppard said before firing three blasts at the first target. Without waiting to see if he'd hit anything he switched to the second, then the third, fourth, and fifth...firing some twenty shots in a matter of five seconds.

He hit three of his targets, resulting in a swarm of green camo fatigues springing out of the grass and sprinting forward just under 275 meters away…farther away than Ronon had probably wanted them to get. "Reinforce rear guard!" Sheppard ordered as the Greenies charged the bunker from both sides.

Half the Blue troops on the lateral flanks pulled off their positions and doubled up the back half of Sheppard's defenses, mowing down the Greenies in a pleasing fashion. On the front side, from what he could hear, things weren't going so well, but if they could take the backside troops out quickly they could then triple up the front side and make up some badly needed points on Ronon's team.

Just as Sheppard started to get hopeful one of his four turrets got knocked out…literally. The gunner slumped out of the seat and fell two meters into a crash bag below.

"Someone get in the turret!"

Just as Sheppard yelled out the order somebody jumped up and slid into the seat…but the person wasn't wearing blue.

"Son of a bitch," Sheppard said under his breath as he recognized Ronon in the gunner's seat as he twirled it around to target Sheppard's men inside the bunker. Two more Greenies jumped up over the east wall...the wall Sheppard had pulled men from…and took up guard positions beside Ronon.

Sheppard took both of them down with quick, accurate shots, but not before Ronon opened up the repeater and stitched eight of Blue Team's front side defenders. Then his opposite number turned the gun towards Sheppard with a wide smile on his face, making it clear that he knew he'd outwitted him again.

Fortunately, Sheppard was able to roll off the roof onto a second lower roof before Ronon could light him up…but from then on things continued to go downhill quickly, resulting in another lopsided Green Team win.

At least Sheppard had been spared the sight of Green Team's flag being hoisted over the bunker…he was still lying unconscious inside the bunker's command tower during Ronon's brief victory celebration.

* * *

After Sheppard had regained consciousness he retreated to the 'VIP' center where the other commanders and on duty defense personnel were stationed. He pulled a quick video review of the massacre and vowed not to let Ronon make a fool of him again…a vow that he'd been making on a daily basis, yet one he hadn't yet been able to keep.

"Commander Sheppard?" someone asked from behind him, addressing him in his Pegasus Army rank.

He spun around in his floating chair. "Yes."

"We have a new report from SG-B," Corporal Wiggins said, referring to the special ops teams that Sheppard had compiled out of the original Earth personnel that had chosen to stay in Atlantis. He still retained command of SG-A, though at present it was little more than himself and Ronon. He still wasn't sure what to make of Teyla, though a part of him didn't want to go ahead and officially replace her.

"What's up?" Sheppard asked, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, making it clear that he didn't want to read the report himself.

The corporal took the cue and skimmed through the file on his datapad. "It seems a group called the Quindosim Brotherhood have put out the message that they want to meet with the people of Atlantis, namely you, sir, on a world called Merx. SG-B was able to procure the address to the planet."

Sheppard sat up straight. "Oh they do, do they?"

"Yes, sir," Wiggins said unnecessarily. "Something to do with the recently returned Ancestor and the item that they have been safeguarding for him."

"Now they want to give us the ZPM?" Sheppard said sarcastically. "Atlantis was nearly destroyed because they held out on us the first time, and now they want to play nice when we don't need it?"

"What's a ZPM?" the corporal asked.

"It's an Ancient power generator. Atlantis uses three of them to power the city," he explained.

Wiggins looked at him curiously. "The whole city? They must be huge."

"Na," Sheppard said dismissively. "It's only about yea big," he said, holding his hands about a foot apart.

"And we...don't need one of those?" the corporal said, obviously impressed.

Sheppard considered that, and the fact that Stevenson said that they were working off a limited supply of the things.

"Ok, so it's still important...just not as much as it used to be," he said, standing up and taking the datapad. He read through it quickly while the corporal waited.

"Find Ronon, and tell him to gear up along with two of his men, his choice. I want them ready to go offworld within the hour."


	2. Chapter 2

Sheppard and a temporary SG-A stepped out of the stargate into the pre-dawn hours of Merx and a swift, but steady breeze. The four men switched on their nightvision goggles and cautiously made their way up the trail to the nearby settlement with Ronon on point, followed closely by Harr and Reva, while Sheppard brought up the rear. There was no talking, no laughing, no complaining along the way…just a neat, four man line efficiently covering ground with their senses alert for trouble. This was one of those moments when Sheppard didn't mind McKay's absence.

The Atlantis team arrived in the village just before the first rays of sunlight broke over the treetops and fell inward onto the forest settlement. The dwellings reminded Sheppard of the Ewok huts in Star Wars, except that these were on the ground, but they were equally wrapped around and between tree trunks. The forest canopy above was patchy, allowing as much view of the sky as it did greenery. Right now those gaps showed fading stars amongst a blue-green hue, but in the daytime they allowed the necessary light for the growth of the long blue grasses that flooded themselves around the base of the sporadic trees.

Those grasses had disappeared where the village began, and Sheppard and company had a bit more leg room to fan out once the trail opened up into the village clearing. Ronon and Sheppard walked forward together with the two regulars following a step behind as they slowly wove through the structures towards village center.

Early in the morning as it was, there were still plenty of villagers awake. Most looked upon them warily, some as if they had just waken.

"I don't suppose they could have heard the stargate open from here?" Sheppard commented to Ronon.

The larger man glanced back the direction they had come. "Not with the wind. They might have had a sentry."

"I don't know," Sheppard said as they hesitantly made their way forward. "Something seems to have rattled them."

"Maybe they're not used to visitors," Ronon suggested.

"Maybe," Sheppard offered, "but then why would the Brotherhood arrange a public meeting here?"

Ronon shrugged. "Darts can't make it past the trees around the gate."

That was true enough. The DHD had been sandwiched between two massive trunks directly in their flight path. "I don't know. I've still got a bad feeling about this."

"Major Sheppard, I presume," a young man said as he approached them, coming out of one of the nearby huts.

"I'm Sheppard," John said, stepping over to him.

"I thought as much, given the description Allina provided. Please come with me," he said, leading them further into the village.

"Where are we going?" Ronon asked gruffly.

"To meet the Master Handler," the man said without stopping.

Ronon glanced to Sheppard. He leaned toward him and whispered. "The chick that boned us last time."

"If you don't mind me asking," Sheppard said, raising his voice so their guide could hear. "It doesn't seem like the locals are very happy to see us?"

"It is not you," the man said back over his shoulder. "Two nights ago one of our people disappeared and hasn't been seen since. We fear that one of the beasts of the forest may have killed him, but we have yet to find a body."

"Beasts?" Sheppard asked, not liking the sound of it.

"Do not fear. They rarely come near the village…and the few that do provide easy kills for our hunters. The beasts are only a threat for those foolish enough to travel alone away from the village after dark."

"How big are they?" Ronon asked.

"No higher than a man's shoulders," the guide said innocently. "Ah, we have nearly arrived. The Master Handler resides in the large dome ahead."

The 'dome' he spoke of was a large conical hut nearly the size of a two story apartment building. Smoke rose from within through slats in the ceiling and cast shadows as it drifted up through the light of the quickly rising sun. Sheppard pulled off his nightvision goggles as the first few rays leaking through the treetops started to cause him amplification problems.

Ronon and the regulars followed suit as an attractive young woman stepped out from the hut to greet them.

"Hello, Major Sheppard," Allina said as she glanced over his team. "I'm sorry to see that Dr. Rodney McKay didn't accompany you."

"I'm sure he is too," Sheppard said, noticing the distinct fact that she was not carrying the ZPM. "So let's get down to business."

Allina half smiled an apology. "I imagine you are still angry over how events transpired the last time we met."

"If you mean how we tirelessly helped you track down the ZPM and defeat the Genii, only to have you steal it back from us after all our hard work…then yeah, I'm still a little miffed over that."

"I hope you can understand my reasons, Sheppard," she said, staring up at him with her big brown eyes. "As Master Handler I've been entrusted with a sacred duty which I must carry out…I apologize for the means by which we recovered the Potentia, but I do not apologize for our intent. We will not fail our forbearers, nor the Ancestor that first entrusted us with the Potentia."

"All well and good," Sheppard said, cutting off anymore excuses. "But in the end, Atlantis still ends up with the ZPM, and all your caution did was nearly get the city destroyed."

He let that sentiment hang in the air for a moment.

"However, we were able to narrowly defeat and escape the Wraith attack on the city," he continued. "Since then, as you have undoubtedly heard, one of the Ancients has returned to Atlantis."

"Yes!" Allina said excitedly. "This is the day the Brotherhood has been waiting for in earnest. I am very pleased to hear that the rumors were true. Tell me, what is the Ancestor like?"

"My point is…" Sheppard said, trying to steer her back on track.

"Where is it?" Ronon asked bluntly.

Sheppard nodded his head in agreement, though he had been trying to be a bit more diplomatic than that.

All levity drained from Allina's face. "I cannot give it to you."

"What?!" Sheppard asked, louder than he had meant. A dozen or so villagers turned toward him to see what was wrong. He stepped closer to Allina and lowered his voice.

"What do you mean we can't have it?"

"I only asked you here in order to confirm the rumors," she said apologetically. "There is only one person whom we can deliver the Potentia to…and that's the Ancestor himself."

"You've got to be kidding me?" Sheppard complained, all pretense of diplomacy dropped. "You're holding out on us…_twice_?"

"Surely you can understand our caution," Allina said, a bit defensively. "Though I do not doubt your word, it is possible that you could have heard of our offer and come here bearing false claims in order to reclaim the Potentia. We cannot risk even the slightest chance of deception."

"Hmmm," a resonating voice said from around the corner of the hut, "that's too bad."

Sheppard raised his P-90 instantly upon hearing the voice. Behind him he heard Ronon's pistol power up just before Todd walked into the open and the villagers immediately began to panic.

"It appears we're going to have to do this the hard way," Todd said ominously, looking at Allina.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Sheppard asked, not taking his sights off the Wraith.

"Easy way to fix that," Ronon offered. Beside him Reva and Harr had their stun rifles trained on Todd, but they knew better than to open fire before Ronon did. They held their nerve amicably, but inside they were scared to hell.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Todd suggested as dozens of Wraith warriors filtered into the village from the treeline, herding a good portion of the villagers that hadn't escaped back toward Todd and Sheppard. "You're hopelessly outnumbered."

Sheppard glanced around, counting numbers. "What's this all about?"

"Alas, my position within the Alliance has diminished somewhat, given the failure of your drug," Todd said regretfully. "I require something of value to reestablish my position…and I could think of nothing better than a Lantean power core."

Todd looked into Allina's frightened face. "It was most kind of you to make such a…widespread invitation."

"And I must also thank you, Colonel Sheppard," Todd said, smiling, "for confirming my suspicions as to the identity of the item that they possess."

"Glad to be of help," Sheppard said sarcastically. "Shouldn't you have a big bug attached to your neck about now?"

"Hmmn, yes," Todd said, remembering. "I may have overstated the rigors of the regenerative process. But then, if I had explained the ease of which the curative cells could be harvested from the…bugs…I doubt you would have let me go. In fact, I believe that you truly expected us never to meet again."

"Wishful thinking, I know," Sheppard admitted. "But you got to admit, you were in pretty bad shape when we let you go."

"Indeed," Todd mewed. "But as you can see for yourself, I am fully recovered. Now all that remains is for me to recover my rightful position," he said stepping toward Allina. "And for that, I require your assistance."

"Hold it right there," Sheppard warned, stopping Todd in his tracks.

"Surely you can't be seriously thinking of a fight?" Todd asked disbelievingly. "Or do you need help counting?"

"We've been up against 10/1 odds before and survived," Sheppard informed him. "Besides, all it takes is a second for me to light you up."

Todd smiled cruelly. "My wounds will heal…yours will not. You have my promise that we will leave peaceably once we have what we came for. No one need be killed," he said looking back at Allina.

"Never," she said meekly.

"Never," Todd repeated casually, glancing back at Sheppard. "Perhaps you simply lack the proper motivation," he said looking over the crowd trapped with Sheppard and the others inside the circle of Wraith. He saw one cloaked figure visibly shaking.

"Perhaps this one," he suggested, walking over to the individual. "Show me where you have hidden the power core or I will feed on him," Todd threatened, pointing to the shaking man.

"Don't…" Sheppard said, all levity lost.

When Allina remained silent Tood looked down at the much shorter Human, smiling. "I don't think she values your life," he said, drawing back the man's hood. "Perhaps if she sees the look of fear upon your face…"

The man looked up at the Wraith with his mismatched eyes and smiled. Todd frowned, not understanding the man's reaction.

"What fear?" Ford said, pulling out a concealed knife and slitting Todd's throat.


	3. Chapter 3

Todd clutched at his throat, total surprise evident in his eyes as he dropped to his knees. Meanwhile, Ford lept out of his overrobe toward the next Wraith, blade in hand.

Sheppard watched it happen behind the barrel of his P-90. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, but he knew that he had to act now. He adjusted his aim to the nearest wraith and unloaded half a dozen bullets into its torso, then he dropped to the ground, jumping laterally as he did so that he now faced backwards.

A stun blast flew over his head and hit one of the scattering villagers. Sheppard poured fire into the Wraith behind him as he heard Ronon snap off several shots.

Ronon hit two Wraith dead center before getting hit in the back by a stun shot. He remained conscious but fell to his knees, his back numb. He managed several more shaky shots forward before a second stun blast hit him in the head and dropped him to the ground.

Sheppard downed the Wraith behind him, then got the one that had shot Ronon. By that time he belatedly noticed a number of the villagers attacking the Wraith with knifes and even stun pistols. Just as it dawned on him that they weren't villagers, but more of Ford's men, he got stunned in the leg. Biting off a curse, he elbowed himself around looking for something to shoot.

What he found was Todd crawling toward one of the downed villagers, his hand still clutching his throat, though it looked as if the bleeding had stopped. He was keeping a low profile, and if Sheppard hadn't been half stunned and lying in his current position he wouldn't have even noticed.

Sheppard couldn't push off of his left leg, so he had to wiggle his upper body around to line up the shot. Todd reached the man, dropping his hand from his already half-healed throat and pushed it against the man's chest.

The cut on his throat diminished quickly, but it was soon replaced by a plethora of bullet holes. Sheppard held in on the trigger until his clip ran empty. By that time Todd had crumpled to the ground and Sheppard was out of the fight, unable to reload given that he was lying on his stomach.

He twisted his head around and saw Harr lying next to Ronon, but Reva still stood, firing off rapid stun blasts. Suddenly he stopped and stood up to his full height…and Sheppard realized the battle was over.

"Reva!" he yelled, his face half in the dirt. "Help me up."

The regular came to his aid quickly and helped pull him up into a sitting position before attending to his fellow soldier and commander. Sheppard took a moment to look around and saw many Humans lying on the ground. Ford, however, was not one of them.

That was, if it was really Ford. Sheppard still wasn't sure until the man knelt down next to one of the Wraith corpses and shakily started to cut the enzyme sack out of its right arm.

"How the hell are you still alive?" Sheppard said loudly enough for his voice to carry across the impromptu battlefield.

"What do you mean?" Ford said, looking up from his shoddy work. The Wraith's arm was a mess and he was having trouble inserting his needle into its other arm.

"The Hive ship blew up," Sheppard reminded him.

Ford finally got the needle to go in and extracted as large of a dose as he could, then injected himself with it, using his forearm to steady his hand. "I was off before that happened."

"How?" Sheppard said disbelievingly.

"I took the jumper," he said as if it was common knowledge.

Sheppard frowned. "What jumper?"

Ford stood up and shrugged. "I assumed it was the one I ditched after I left Atlantis. When we were planning the op I went back to get it and it was gone. I'd assumed you'd tracked it and taken it back to Atlantis until I found it in an offshoot of the hangar bay."

Sheppard raised his eyebrow. "What would the Wraith want with a jumper?"

"I don't know," Ford admitted, walking over to Sheppard. His bodily tremors appeared to have stopped. "They'd tore up the forward console pretty good. I thought they might have been looking for some type of black box, but I never knew for sure. The jumper was still flight worthy, so after I went back to rescue you I used it to get off the ship. I stuck around long enough to see the battle. Good work, by the way. Getting them to shoot at each other like that…oh, and that new battlecruiser you got is sweet."

"Whoa, whoa…back up a minute," Sheppard said, trying to keep up. "If you had a jumper on the Hive ship why didn't we all use it to get off the ship?"

Ford looked down at Sheppard where he sat on the ground. "Because if we'd left together, I knew you'd have taken me back to Atlantis whether I'd wanted to or not."

"Right," Sheppard said, agreeing with the obvious.

"Actually, I wish it had worked out that way," Ford admitted. "It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"Meaning what?" Sheppard asked.

Ford knelt down so he was at even eye level with Sheppard. "We need your help. The enzyme isn't working like it used to. After a few hours I get the shakes so bad I can't fire a weapon worth crap. The others aren't so bad, but then again I've been on the enzyme longer than they have."

Sheppard looked shocked. "You're saying you want to go back to Atlantis?"

"Yeah," Ford said, half apologizing. "We all do. Hopefully Beckett can find some way to fix this."

Sheppard smiled. "I can do better than Beckett. A lot of things have changed since we last talked. For starters, you don't have to worry about a court martial anymore. Atlantis has declared its independence from Earth."

"Really?!" Ford said, not quite believing it. "I didn't think Weir had the balls to do something like that."

Sheppard shook his head. "Weir's not in charge. I am."

Ford raised his eyebrows. "You?"

Sheppard cocked his head at an angle. "Well, to be honest, it's more of a co-command between me and…the Ancient," he said dramatically.

"An Ancient?" Ford asked.

"Yeah, name's Stevenson. He was a member of the SGC and found one of those head sucker things that downloads Ancient knowledge into your brain."

"General O'Neill used one," Ford said. "It nearly killed him."

"Well, Stevenson lived…and it turns out it does a bit more than a simple data download. It completely changed him into an old school Ancient, called an Alterra. He busted me out of the brig and got us off Earth. Ever since then Atlantis has been on its own. I'd bet a hundred bucks Stevenson can fix your problem within twenty minutes."

"Stevenson…" Ford said, thinking. "That name sounds familiar."

"You know him?"

"Maybe…I can't remember," Ford said, shaking it off. "Why doesn't Atlantis's address work anymore? We tried dialing it earlier to ask for your help but we couldn't connect."

"Ah," Sheppard said, beginning to understand his thinking. "We moved the city to another planet…twice."

"Really…you can do that?"

"We can do a lot of things now that we've got an Ancient on our side and three ZPMs to power the city."

"Three...then why do you need theirs?"

"We don't need it," Sheppard admitted. "But it would be stupid not to get it when we have the chance. It's still useful."

"No doubt," Ford said as Ronon suddenly woke up.

"Hey, Chewie. Have a nice nap?" Sheppard asked sarcastically.

"What happened?" Ronon groggily muttered.

"The Wraith are dead, thanks to Ford and his…" Sheppard cut off suddenly. He looked to Ford. "Two of my men were equipped with stun weapons. Some of the Wraith might just be unconscious."

"We'll fix that," Ford said, walking off and giving orders to his men as Sheppard tried to shake off the sudden wave of pins and needles torturing his leg.

Ronon dragged himself over to Harr and tried to wake him up, with no success. He looked up at Reva who was standing in silent guard over the two of them. "Gather up the Wraiths' weapons," he ordered.

Reva nodded and hurried off on his scavenger hunt.

Ronon slowly pulled himself to his feet, shaky as he was, but he still managed to stand.

"How do you do that?" Sheppard asked, his leg still wobbly.

"Takes practice," Ronon said, looking around and finding his weapon. He retrieved it, then found Todd's body. He looked down at it, then the man next to him. "Sheppard, this guy's been fed on…and he's still alive."

"If we get him back to Atlantis maybe Stevenson can do something for him," Sheppard said.

"That was my thought," Ronon echoed as he looked around. "Who are all these guys."

"They're mine," Ford said, rejoining them.

"You didn't have this many before," Ronon said.

"We've got more than this back at our base."

"How many?" Sheppard asked, leaning on a tree trunk as he stood up on one leg.

"About fifty," Ford said, staring at him. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Sheppard said quickly. "But we need to get back to Atlantis now. That guy might not have very long. Are any more of your people injured?"

"He's not one of mine. Just one of the villagers," Ford said, glancing around. "My guys are fine. Their stun weapons don't work as well on us."

"Right," Sheppard said, remembering. "Can your guys carry him and our guy through the gate?"

"Sure," Ford said, motioning to his men.

Ronon stepped over and put an arm under Sheppard. Nearby they saw Allina peeking out from the large hut's doorway.

"How about now?" Sheppard asked.

Allina stepped out. "I'm sorry. I can't give you the Potentia. Bring the Ancestor here and we'll give it to him…but only him."

Sheppard frowned. "We'll be back."

Ronon helped Sheppard toward the gate as Ford and his band collected the two men and did likewise, leaving the rest of the unconscious villagers where they lay. On the way Ronon stopped by Todd's body and put a couple of shots in his back, just to be on the safe side.

"Bye, Todd," Sheppard said irreverently as they walked off.


	4. Chapter 4

Devonshire sat in Atlantis's control room, pulling gate duty as was the norm for her on odd numbered days. She'd gotten use to the long, dull hours while still keeping her wits about her. In the beginning she had dosed off several times…fortunately with no one around to notice. Since then she'd learned to keep busy in order to stay awake and focused enough to respond to trouble on a moment's notice.

Today she was reading a novel called Eragon that they'd gotten from Earth before the split. She was through about a third of it when the gate activated.

By reflex she slid across the control room floor on her floating chair to the dialing station. She tapped the shield button as usual…yet nothing happened.

Devonshire frowned, then glanced at the nearby display where the cause of the inaction was revealed. Colonel Sheppard's ID code had already been entered, making it impossible for her to raise the shield without entering an override code…which she could accomplish with the press of a few keys if needed.

She still couldn't believe that her predecessors handled the shield manually before Stevenson had arrived. All it would take was a slight delay on the part of the control room staff and the incoming travelers would walk right into the shield and die. That was a lot of responsibility on her part and she was glad that the automatic shield lowering program had been enacted. She didn't want someone's death on her hands if she hadn't been fast enough.

This time it seemed Sheppard had beaten her to the punch, having input his code before she could even respond. That usually meant trouble. Devonshire stood up and looked over the railing as a number of unfamiliar faces walked out of the gate.

Sheppard stepped into Atlantis still supported by Ronon's arm and immediately looked up to the officer on deck. "Lieutenant, get Stevenson down here ASAP!"

Devonshire shrugged helplessly. "He's currently offworld."

Sheppard frowned. It figured he'd be gone right when they needed him. "Well get him back here."

"What do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell him it's a medical emergency," Sheppard said, finally relinquishing Ronon's assistance. He hopped up the stairs on one foot. "Send him to the infirmary as soon as he gets back."

"Yes, Colonel," Devonshire said as she composed the message on the Ancient 'fax' machine. She sent it without delay…then went back to her book.

"What now?" Ford asked when they got to the infirmary.

"Put him on that table," Sheppard said, struggling to keep up.

"That one?" Ford said, pointing to the one and only 'bed' left in the room…one that clearly hadn't come from Earth.

"Yeah," Sheppard said, leaning against the doorjamb. "It should activate automatically."

Ronon stepped over and helped Ford lift the villager that had been fed upon up onto the life support station that Stevenson had placed in the infirmary when he had cleaned out all the 'primitive junk.'

They gently laid his head back onto the thin pads and the rim of the table suddenly glowed to life. Status monitors appeared above both the table and patient, completely composed of holographic symbols that Sheppard couldn't make heads or tails of.

"That should keep him alive until Stevenson shows up," Sheppard said as he heard rapid footsteps in the hallway behind him. "Speak of the devil," he said as Stevenson came running into view.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly seeing the patient. He walked past Sheppard and went right to the diagnostic displays, his eyes narrowing.

"He was fed on by a Wraith," Ronon told him.

That seemed to clear up something for Stevenson who immediately began making adjustments on a slide-out control panel. He input a long series of commands before turning to his left and reaching a hand out into the air.

From across the room a small cube came floating into his grip. Stevenson finally looked that way when the cube reached his fingertips…and saw Ford.

"Aiden?" Stevenson asked, not believing his eyes. "I thought you were dead?"

Ford blinked twice. "Ryan?" he asked hesitantly.

"Who else?" Stevenson said wryly, sliding the cube into a slot on the table above the man's head. He input a few more commands then let the healing device do its work.

He walked over to Ford, looking him up and down. "You don't look so good."

Ford smiled ironically. "I was about to say the opposite for you. You've never looked better. In fact, you look so good I didn't recognize your ugly face when you walked in," he jibed.

"Wait a minute," Sheppard interrupted. "You know each other?"

"You kidding," Ford said, laughing. "We were best buddies back in the SGC…then I came out here and he stayed back home…said something about having too many headaches," Ford said, having a little difficulty remembering. "You still got those?"

"Yes and no," Stevenson said, stepping closer to Ford. "Hold still for a moment."

Ford smiled. "I can't believe you're the Ancient," he said as Stevenson touched his right hand against the left side of his face. "What are you doing?" Ford asked as he suddenly felt weird.

Stevenson held him still in a telekinetic grip as he continued his work. "Just relax, Aiden," he calmed him, both verbally and telepathically.

From across the room Sheppard's jaw dropped when he saw Aiden's black eye suddenly lighten. Stevenson dropped his hand away and Sheppard felt compelled to take a closer look. He hop/walked over to Ford…who now had two normal eyes.

"What did you do?" Ford asked suspiciously.

"I healed your eye," Stevenson told him, telekinetically pulling a hand scanner from the far shelf. He ran it up and down his friend, confirming what he had sensed from him. "You're more of a mess inside than out," he said, turning the scanner on one of Ford's men.

"It feels like it too," Ford admitted. "Can you do anything for my guys?"

Stevenson nodded confidently. "It'll take some work, but yes. You, however, are worse off than them."

"I figured that," Ford said, nodding. "I've been on the enzyme longer than any of them."

"More than that," Stevenson said, scanning him once more. "It has to do with the Wraith's feeding process. You're the only one that's been fed on, correct?"

"Yeah," Ford said, not liking the memories such a question brought to the surface of his already convoluted mind. "How do you know about that?"

"I read all of Atlantis's mission reports," Stevenson said offhand as he pointed back at the villager who even now appeared to be de-aging. "His core energy was drained, along with a cocktail of very specific biomatter, leaving an insufficient amount of either to sustain his body. It's similar to having too much blood taken out of your body by an overzealous nurse at a Red Cross blood drive."

Ford half smiled. "Yeah, I remember when that happened to Steve. He was off duty for a week after that."

"Because it took time for his body to replace the lost blood," Stevenson explained. "It's the same for his core energy. So long as some remains it can regenerate the rest…but his body won't last long enough for that to happen. This device is introducing a form of neutral core energy that his core can use in the interim, sort of like a blood transfusion, until his natural energy is replenished."

Stevenson pointed to Ford. "You had less core energy drained from you…but it was never replaced. Your body shifted your biochemistry in order to survive the loss, and it has caused a continuing chain of malfunctions ever since. The enzyme sustains you while more and more of your internal systems fail. If I were to take you off it now, you would die instantly."

"What about them?" Ford asked, clearly concerned for the welfare of his men.

"The enzyme itself has caused a different set of problems for them," Stevenson continued, "but I should be able to heal the damage within a few days."

"What about our abilities?" one of Ford's men asked suspiciously.

Stevenson looked at the man. "Your enzyme-enhanced abilities will revert back to normal…but free of the enzyme you will be able to advance yourself through training. Currently the enzyme is blocking any normal adaptation because your body is operating in a semi-controlled state of overload."

The man looked to Ford for an explanation.

"No more super-powers," he said bluntly.

"No way," the man said. "I'm staying on the enzyme."

Ford grabbed him by the shoulder. "Hey! You wanna end up like me, do you? Get off it while you still can."

"What good are we if we can't kill more Wraith?" the man angrily countered.

"I understand your situation," Stevenson interrupted, "and I'm willing to offer you a chance to keep your powers."

Both Ford and the man looked at Stevenson. "How?" they asked in tandem.

"I'll give you a chance to earn back your powers…and these won't have any side effects."

Ford frowned. "You can do that?"

"Yes," Stevenson said simply. "But I won't give them away for free. You'll have to prove yourself worthy."

"How do we do that?" another of Ford's men asked.

Stevenson pointed to Sheppard. "He's currently training an army to fight the Wraith. Prove yourselves to be capable and trustworthy and I'll give you genetic enhancements equal to the abilities you've gain from the Wraith enzyme."

All of Ford's men looked at Sheppard.

"I'm not going to cut you any slack," he said defiantly. "I'm going to work your asses off, trying to get you to break down or blow up. If I don't like what I see I'll cut you loose…but if I do like what I see I'll reserve slots on a special ops unit that could use men with your experience fighting the Wraith."

"When do we start?" the first man asked, clearly excited about the offer.

"As soon as Stevenson gives you the green light," Sheppard told them all.

Stevenson put his hand on Ford's shoulder. "As for you…I have another idea."


	5. Chapter 5

Sheppard walked into the infirmary and saw Ford sitting alone at one of the workstations. "Where's Stevenson?"

"Don't know," Ford said, visibly shaking. "He told me to meet him here this morning, but he hasn't shown yet."

Sheppard frowned. "Same here," he said, taking note of the shaking. "Isn't it about time you had another dose?"

"I took the last of what I had a couple hours ago," Ford said warily. "I hope Ryan came up with something…or I'm going to need to go hunting more Wraith."

"Can't he synthesize more?" Sheppard asked. "I thought that's what he's doing for your men."

"No," Ford said, shaking his head. "He's got them all in a coma on the other side of the city while they detox. He said it would be easier on them that way. Set up a whole med bay for them. I've been keeping tabs on their progress…looking like the first of them will be in the clear in a day or so. I'd go easy on them the first few days if I were you."

"_We'll_ give them a few days to get their legs," Sheppard said, emphasizing the 'we.' "That includes you. I need your help to whip my guys into shape. Ronon's team has been kicking our butts on a regular basis."

"Teams?" Ford asked.

"Yeah. We split up into four teams for combat training. We go at it with stun weapons and the men get some badly needed experience. We score each battle and keep a running tally. My team, Blue Team, is currently in last."

Ford considered that. "This Ronon…has he had military training?"

"Yeah," Sheppard said, remembering that they weren't that well acquainted. "He was a Specialist back on his home planet, Setida, before he was captured by the Wraith."

"Specialist…what's that mean for them?"

"Ah…I don't really know," Sheppard admitted. "He doesn't like to talk about the past much."

"And he's proving to be a good leader?"

Sheppard nodded. "Definitely has a head for strategy."

"What about the other teams?"

"Brand is a typical drill Sergeant. By-the-book type. Striker is a Pegasus native who learned all he knows from Ronon, so their styles are similar."

"And your style is what?" Ford asked sarcastically. "A little PT, weapons training, then everyone goes out for a day at the beach?"

"What are you saying?" Sheppard asked, a little miffed.

"How hard are you pushing them?" Ford asked pointedly.

"As hard as I can…they're not exactly crème of the crop. Half of them can't even shoot straight."

"How did you pick teams?"

"Each team leader got to choose, one at a time."

"Guess you're just not a good judge of talent then," Ford decided.

Sheppard opened his mouth to say something smart, then decided to shut it. "You may have a point there," he admitted.

"We'll then, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us," Ford said, looking down at his shaking hands. "That is, if Stevenson can fix this."

"He said he had it covered," Sheppard reminded him. "As for your men…we'll have to split them up between the teams."

Ford raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to have them do special training?"

"I meant after that," Sheppard clarified. "They'll have to pass through basic training first…which is where we'll find out if they've got what it takes."

"Don't worry," Ford said confidently. "They're all good fighters. I can vouch for them."

"It's not the fighting part that worries me," Sheppard said. "It's their ability to follow orders and keep a level head. Aside from you, have any of your men had any military training?"

"A few…but nothing up to snuff with the U.S. military."

"My point exactly."

"Still," Ford argued, "the raw material is there. I didn't just pick people at random."

Both of them turned when they heard footsteps approach. A moment later Stevenson came through the door along with Ronon and set the ZPM down on the bio-bed beside Sheppard.

"Sorry we're late…" he apologized.

Sheppard's eyes went wide. "You got it?"

"Piece of cake," Ronon said. "All he had to do was show off some of his powers and they gave it to him."

"Really," Sheppard said, not quite believing it. "That easy was it? Did they get their reward like they thought?"

Stevenson nodded. "That's what took us so long. We relocated the Brotherhood to Atlantis. Their reward is never having to worry about being culled again."

"Is that what they were expecting?"

"No, but they were thrilled none the less. By the way, Allina is looking for you. I think she wants to apologize for not trusting you the first time."

"Wonderful," Sheppard said sarcastically.

"I don't mean to be impatient," Ford interrupted, "but I used the last of my enzyme this morning."

Stevenson nodded and held up three vials that he'd brought with him. "I finished these a few hours ago."

Ford and Sheppard both frowned. "I don't understand," Ford said.

"These nanites," Stevenson said, sitting down next to Aiden, "will synthesize a slightly altered version of the Wraith enzyme using nutrients gathered from your own body. You'll never have to worry about running low again, so long as you have food and water available."

"Cool," Ford said, genuinely pleased.

Stevenson held up a finger. "That's not the end of it. You're still dying…the enzyme is just keeping you alive a little longer, not to mention doing some damage of its own. This vial," he said, holding up the second one, though it contained the same grey dust as the first, "contains nanites specifically designed to combat your physical decay. They're going to start putting you back together, even as the enzyme continues to tear you apart. There is no guarantee that they will win this war of attrition…but at least they'll give you a fighting chance."

"So those nanites," Sheppard said, pointing to the second vial, "are going to heal him as fast or faster than he's falling apart?"

"Hopefully, yes," Stevenson said hesitantly. "Even in a best case scenario it will take years for Aiden to recover. What he does and doesn't do from this point on may very well tip the balance."

"What do you mean?" Ford asked.

"Enhancive training," Stevenson said to Ford, then glanced over at Sheppard. "Not the 'break them down then build them up' variety. He needs to start healing his body through regenerative training in addition to the nanites. I don't imagine your previous diet and living conditions helped matters any."

Ford glanced between the two of them. "Things were rough, but we managed alright."

"You can't afford 'rough' anymore," Stevenson told him. "At least, not if you have a choice."

"What's the third one for?" Ford asked.

Stevenson held it up. "These will counteract the mental affects of the enzyme…clear your head."

"There's nothing wrong with my head," Ford said, taken aback.

"Yeah, there is," Sheppard told him. "Ever since you got on the enzyme you haven't been yourself."

"I don't believe this," Ford said, standing up suddenly. "You all turned your back on me before, thinking I was crazy…but after everything that's happened I thought I'd finally proved to you that I'm fine."

He turned to Stevenson.

"And you…I can't believe you're siding with them. I thought you were my friend…you of all people should believe me," he said angrily.

"Your head is a mess, Aiden," Stevenson said calmly.

"And you know that how?" he argued, taking a step forward. "You've been around me for a few hours and you think you know what's going on inside my head? You're pathetic."

"Aiden…," Stevenson said sarcastically, "I have the ability to read minds."

Ford glared at him silently for a moment. "Prove it. I'm thinking of a number between one and ten."

"Fourteen," Stevenson said without hesitation.

Ford's frown deepened. "I guess you can read minds."

"I can also sense emotions," he said, adding a bit of soothing telepathic influence behind his words. "And right now yours are erratic. These nanites will clear your head within a minute."

Ford glanced between Stevenson and the vial, with Sheppard and Ronon waiting silently to see what happened. "I have been a bit punchy lately," he admitted.

"It won't take more than a few seconds to inject the nanites," Stevenson said calmly, not forcing anything on him. "Do you want to do this?"

"You're asking?" Ford said suspiciously.

"Of course," Stevenson said.

"And if I don't want the nanites for my head?"

"Then I'll still give you the other two," Stevenson said honestly. "But you have my word that all three will do as I've said. The nanites won't alter your mind, they'll just keep the enzyme from affecting it. If I'm right, you'll feel better instantly. If you're right, then nothing will change."

Ford considered that for a long minute before finally nodding. "Alright, give them to me."

Stevenson didn't say anything, he merely pulled an injector out of a storage bin and slid the first vial into it. He placed the tip against Ford's neck and over the course of a few seconds emptied the vial into his blood stream.

He inserted the second vial and did likewise. Before he could even get to the third Ford's hands stopped shaking.

"Son of a bitch," Ford said, not believing it. "It works."

"They will regulate the dosage so that you never get too little or too much," Stevenson explained as he loaded the mind-insulating nanites into the vial. He injected them then put away the empty canisters and injector.

As he did, Sheppard took his place next to Ford. "How do you feel?"

"I don't…" Ford said, suddenly grasping his head. "Ah…that stings," he said as the sensation suddenly passed. He blinked his eyes twice as if suddenly waking up. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Sheppard asked.

"It feels like someone just pulled a spike out of my head…"

Sheppard glanced at Stevenson who nodded slightly.

"Whoa…" Ford said, leaning on the table for balance as the last of the enzyme was flushed from his brain. "That is so cool."

"Lieutenant?" Sheppard asked.

Ford glanced up at him and smiled guiltily. "I was just being an ass, wasn't I?"

"Well," Sheppard said, looking for the right words. "Let's just say you weren't your normal chipper self."

"I swear, I had no idea I was acting like that."

"It's ok, Aiden," Sheppard said, putting his hand on Ford's shoulder. "The important thing is you're back to normal."

"I wouldn't say that," Ford cautioned as he took a wobbly step. He glanced over at Stevenson. "How much did those nanites weigh? I feel like the tin man."

"Only a few kilos," Stevenson said dismissively. "You'll get used to it."

"A few kilos?" Ronon asked.

"Heavier than your gun," Sheppard said, explaining the non-Pegasus weight measurement.

"Really?" Ronon said. "Didn't look that heavy."

"I guess looks are deceiving," Sheppard said, getting back to Ford. "About everything that's happened since you left Atlantis…I want you to forget all of it. Your head's clear, you're back now…that's the end of it."

Ford nodded gratefully. "Thank you, sir. That's probably better than I deserve."

"Now, none of that," Sheppard argued. "You here hyped up on an alien drug. Some of the blame has to go there."

"Will my guys be the same way?" Ford asked Stevenson.

The Alterra nodded. "Once the enzyme is clear of their systems their minds will be clear as well."

"Good," Ford said, relieved. "I got them into this mess in the first place."

"You also gave them a chance to kick some Wraith butt," Ronon told him. "That's not a bad thing."

"True," Sheppard agreed.

Ford glanced between the three of them, then suddenly cracked a smile.

"What?" Sheppard asked.

"Well, if I'm the tin man, then that makes him the lion, him the wizard, and you the scarecrow," Ford said, moving his fingers above his head making fun of Sheppard's hair. "By the way, where's Dorothy?"

Sheppard didn't even blink. "Teyla or McKay?"

Ford cracked up at that. "Both I guess."

Sheppard glanced briefly at Stevenson. "Teyla's off trying to find her ruby slippers…and McKay went back to Kansas."

"McKay went back to Earth?" Ford said, not believing that the man could ever give up the technology within the city.

"Yeah," Sheppard said, catching his meaning. "Girlfriend."

Ford couldn't help but laugh. "McKay has a girlfriend?!"

"Believe me, we didn't see it coming either," Sheppard admitted, glancing at Ronon for confirmation. "And she's kind of hot too."

"Lucky dog," Ford said admirably. "I still can't believe he gave up Atlantis…even for a chick."

"He also said something about not ever seeing his sister again," Sheppard added.

"McKay has a sister?" Ford asked.

"I guess you missed that part too," Sheppard said, trying to remind himself that Ford had been away from Atlantis longer than he'd been here. "She even came out here a couple times to help him on some technical stuff."

"She's as smart as him?"

Sheppard smiled. "Smarter, actually…and not nearly as annoying."

"Man," Ford said, absorbing it all. "I've missed a lot, haven't I?"

"We'll get you up to speed in no time," Sheppard assured him. "How long before I can get him over to Yavin for some real training?"

"Now," Stevenson said surprisingly. "The nanites will be fully situated within a matter of minutes."

Sheppard clapped Ford on the back and pulled him toward the door. "Well then, let's get to work. Blue team has some catching up to do," he said, intentionally looking at Ronon. "With your help, we should be kicking butt in no time."

"Don't count on it," Ronon warned, following a step behind them.

Sheppard smiled and put Ford in a quick headlock. "Buddy, I'm glad you're back. The yellow brick road just hasn't been the same without you."

"Likewise, sir," Ford said, easily pulling himself out of it.

"And you can drop the 'sir' from now on," Sheppard told him.

Ford smiled. "Alright, John…and thanks…for not giving up on me."

"Never," Sheppard said as the three of them walked off together. Stevenson disappeared down another hallway, off to who knows where.


End file.
